Sunday, June 17, 2007

Father's Day & Jetsam

From someone who was born on Father's Day many suns ago, let me wish a Happy Father's Day to all the fathers (of all kinds), grandfathers, mentors and father-figures (the benevolent, non-patriarchal sorts, that is) out there. I used to be skeptical of what I considered to be manufactured holidays that were basically fronts to encourage consumerism (which is now all of them), but now that I'm older, I'm a lot more willing to concede that it is important to have days when we can devote some time and space to honor those who've loved us and helped shape us for the better.

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I've been in a bit of a hollow of late as I've been trying to reset my compass, so the intermittent posts. I haven't "gone fishing," as Bernie describes his own hiatus, but I also heven't been anywhere near as quick off the mark as I'd hoped. My summer motto remains: there's always tomorrow....

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Whereas I once read the the New York Times from cover to cover, I usually skim it nowadays, including the sections that I once gravitated towards, like the Arts section, and the Magazine. I did read much of last week's money-focused issue, but this week, I was back to skimming. One short piece that caught my eye was Erica Goode's Idea Lab piece, "Home Alone," which explores Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam's controversial findings that, at least initially, a person may experience greater feelings of social isolation and anomie living in a more racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood than in one that is more homogeneous. Goode cites some scholarship that challenges Putnam's view, suggesting that he just might not be accounting for some unknown factor, but I found the findings provocative, and hope to return to the article and add more thoughts about it down the road. Readers, what do you think?

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Jack Chang reports in McClatchy News that Black Brazilians, who may number up to 90 million people, have gotten fed up with the country's racism and longstanding Black subordination, and are increasingly speaking out. The article's title suggests that Black Brazilians' response is new, but really it dates back to the 17th century. Chang explores some of the most recent public attempts to address the issue and effects of racism, including a national push for affirmative action in higher education (though some of Brazil's elite state institutions, including the flagship federal universities in Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and Bahia, for example, do now have affirmative action plans in place), and greater enforcement of laws that penalize overt racism. He also discusses the differences between the general view of Brazilian race relations as harmonious ("a racial democracy," to quote the infamous phrase) and the reality, with comparisons to the United States. He notes that the current president, Lula da Silva, deserves some recognition for bringing the issue of race to the front of public discourse, but he also points out that some observers wonder whether the temporary changes will have any effect. It's clear, however, that there's widespread acknowledgement of the problem; it's always the solutions that pose the greatest difficulty.

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I keep wondering if I'm being had by the following article, so perhaps some J's Theater readers can clarify either way. But here goes: are you familiar with "Gingerism"? If not, read this. Then please read the comments if your doubt meter is triggered. Mine was. (Singling out any group of people for oppression is abhorrent and wrong.) Then there's this case. While I'm aware of taunts, my personal experience has been that people like, or love, redheads, at least in those parts of the country where I've lived. According to these articles, the situation is quite different in the UK.

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Yes, I hear and read all the time how monolithically "socially conservative" Black people, especially Southern Black people, are (and yes, I know that there's some truth there), but it's interesting that in the recent Dallas mayoral race, the openly gay candidate, City Councilperson Ed Oakley, appeared to have won many (most?) of the city precincts with predominant or large Black populations. He nevertheless lost to businessperson Tom Leppert, who will more than enough to deal with.

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In two weeks, Michael Moore's critically acclaimed documentary Sicko will be out. It's the one summer film I can't wait to see. (I completely missed the entire New Fest....)